Music Creation Question

Out of curiosity, what are your strengths and weaknesses in creating a track?

I've been getting into music composition (Reason 4.0) after years of playing conventional instruments sans piano and can tell right away where I'd need some training. I'd could whip some decent drum/ambiance/fx/rhythm yet have a difficult time with writing lead/melodies and was thinking of researching/practicing internet-found piano scales. As with electronic music there are so many different sounds/instruments/music-creating-techniques, how do you improve your weak areas?

Strengths (more like "decents"): Chopping a break, Arrangement, melody, harmony, rhythm,

Weaknesses: Traditional DAWS (I use reason)

I really need to start implementing a traditional DAW in my music, if for no reason than to tap into VST's. I have both Abelton 7 and FL Studio 8, but I have absolutely NO IDEA how to use either of them. I always mean to try and learn how to use them, but my motivation factor is at a level of -6.478645. I know there are plenty of online resources & tutorials but I really am a "quick fix" kind of person, so this never gets done...

Sneaksta- ableton is very easy to pick up, especially with Reason. If I can pick it up you can as well, believe I the world's biggest dilletante when it comes to music.

  Velazquez said:

Sneaksta- ableton is very easy to pick up, especially with Reason. If I can pick it up you can as well, believe I the world's biggest dilletante when it comes to music.

well, i'll have to give it a go. When using rewire, which program do you open 1st?

weaknesses, lack of thought out interesting drum beats

strengths, harmonies, creating a mood, adding a bit of funk

neutral, noisey sounds sometimes, chek yer levels

  assegai said:

what are your strengths and weaknesses in creating a track?

You tell me.

  assegai said:

how do you improve your weak areas?

By continually trying to write what you're bad at, but want to get better at.

One thing I really need to work on is chord progression and complexities of harmonies, Joe is far better at that than I am.

strengths: original composition and melodies, complex harmonies, progressions, moods, ambient sounds.

synth editing. EQing, themes, making serious tracks overflowing with emotional content

weaknesses: rhythmic content. making interesting driving and buildup effects. i use too much shit like cheesy reverse cymbals.. simplicity. editing, automation. compression. i suck at making uninteresting laidback tracks that aren't overflowing with emotional content

strengths: original composition and melodies, complex harmonies, progressions, moods, ambient sounds.

synth editing. EQing, themes, making serious tracks overflowing with emotional content, rhythmic content. making interesting driving and buildup effects, cheesy reverse cymbals.. simplicity. editing, automation. compression, strengths, harmonies, creating a mood, adding a bit of funk, chopping a break, arrangement, melody, harmony, rhythm, detuned synths, and prodigious production techniques.

weakness: i don't understand what this means

^great post, would read again

I tend to fall in love with what I've got "so far" and then I find it hard moving on and adding new things to the track.

i have no weakness

  hahathhat said:

i have no weakness

yes except that your "music" totally sucks in every way

  sneaksta303 said:

  Velazquez said:

Sneaksta- ableton is very easy to pick up, especially with Reason. If I can pick it up you can as well, believe I the world's biggest dilletante when it comes to music.

 

well, i'll have to give it a go. When using rewire, which program do you open 1st?

Open Ableton, then Reason and select audio in from Reason.

I am good with the creation of sounds and sample manipulation. I have my moments when my synth progamming is bang on, I have been working on this a lot recently. I usually end up with loads of tracks that could be really good if I knew how to progress them. I think that's it.

No actually, sometimes I really struggle to translating an idea in my head to the sequencer I am using. Ths is the one that really gets on my tits.

That is it.

  IRARI said:

  hahathhat said:

i have no weakness

 

yes except that your "music" totally sucks in every way

did i fart in one of your threads or something??

strengths: melody, harmony, structure, and layers, layers, layers, layers, layers. Have overcome my weakness of excessive repetition in music -- almost everything I write in the last two years (that weren't quickies) now varies in mood and general feel every 20-40 seconds or so. I'm even certain I have a style that I can call my own by now -- I no longer sound like I'm trying to be my influences.

weaknesses: trying new things tools-and-technology wise, as I've been using exclusively Jeskola BuzzTracker since about late 2003, early 2004. But Buzz has been an incredible tool for self-teaching the ins-and-outs of synth programming, sound manipulation, composition, and everything in between. So what if I can't read sheet music or play any actual instruments? It's the 21st century.

Strengths: Starting a track

Weaknesses: Finishing a track

  my usernames always really suck said:

weaknesses: trying new things tools-and-technology wise, as I've been using exclusively Jeskola BuzzTracker since about late 2003, early 2004.

I'd count that as a strength. Better a master of once piece of software than a jack of a multitude of things.

  Rbrmyofr said:

Strengths: Starting a track

 

Weaknesses: Finishing a track

  Rbrmyofr said:

Strengths: Starting a track

 

Weaknesses: Finishing a track

  assegai said:

As with electronic music there are so many different sounds/instruments/music-creating-techniques, how do you improve your weak areas?

You get better at writing music the same way you get better at anything else.

Practice.

  assegai said:

Out of curiosity, what are your strengths and weaknesses in creating a track?

I've been getting into music composition (Reason 4.0) after years of playing conventional instruments sans piano and can tell right away where I'd need some training. I'd could whip some decent drum/ambiance/fx/rhythm yet have a difficult time with writing lead/melodies and was thinking of researching/practicing internet-found piano scales. As with electronic music there are so many different sounds/instruments/music-creating-techniques, how do you improve your weak areas?

you should transcribe what you like and digest/extrapolate the vocabulary involved. It's what I labor to do with what I cannot quite accomplish musically.

I suck royally at transitions. I can set up a cool groove, loop it forever, and be happy, but it never goes anywhere.  I am getting better at it, though.

  OneToThirtySix said:

I suck royally at transitions. I can set up a cool groove, loop it forever, and be happy, but it never goes anywhere. I am getting better at it, though.

Your avatar is scary, isn't that from Disney's Dombo or something?

  Rbrmyofr said:

Strengths: Starting a track

 

Weaknesses: Finishing a track

Same here....